The story of a Burgundian winegrower

First I must confess I am not a wine connoisseur.  What I do know, however, is that in the world of fine wine, the only region in France that can truly rival the supremacy of Bordeaux is Burgundy. These two regions, however, are so different in nature that any comparison could only be a gross generalisation. This is what I will try to avoid here.

Savigny des Beaune

My observation is based on a recent visit to a very small producer in the village of Savigny des Beaune, a few kilometres from Beaune. The Ecards, like most growers in the region, is a family-run operation, and by that I mean a husband and wife team, plus hired help during the harvest. Their 4.3-hectare plot produces only 20,000 bottles of premier cru wine in a year.  Most plots have a minimum size of 7.5 hectares.  It is also quite common for larger producers to own appellations in different parts of Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits.

Family home cum wine tasting cellar

The Ecards started out on their own in 2005 and rented the land owned by the family. The start up was not easy by any measure because Michel inherited nothing other than the skills and experiences that he had acquired from working with his parents and grandparents. His wife, Joanna, had to put her own career on hold in order to help establish the operation.

The wine tasting cellar

We spent over an hour tasting the wines at their home cellar and more interestingly, learned about their thinking, their vision and their passion for what they are doing and for the region.

It was Easter Monday, a time for family gatherings. But the Ecards took time to show us their production facility and vineyard with great enthusiasm.  There was absolutely no pressure to buy anything, and even if we wanted to make a purchase, it would not have been possible because it was Easter. How inflexible, how French!

The wine cellar at the production facility

The Burgundians, as they call themselves, are proud people, warm and hospitable. My heart went out to Michel when I saw in his eyes glimpses of hope that his twelve years old son would grow up overnight and be a part of his wine business which is just beginning to generate enough income to cover his mortgage.  Michel is basically a farmer, it just happens that he grows vine. In his words, "I take care of the vines in the way I know best and let nature run its course." I admire his respect for nature and for not meddling with it. He is in the least interested in the marketing side of the business which is being handled by an agent.

Ecard's vineyard in full view

It goes without saying that the Ecards represents only a small percentage of wine producers in the region. And there are the famous Grand Cru estates, such as Romanee Conti, that have become very commercialised at the other end of the spectrum of wine consumption - targeted almost exclusively at the rich and famous, whose doors remain firmly shut.

A bottle of wine is typically made with grapes from two vines

April is the time for pruning while September is for harvesting 

Dishes inspired by the southwest

Tucked away in the 14th arrondissement, Le Regalade's indisputably good menu at 32 euros is a hit with the locals.  On the night of my visit, the place was packed by 8 pm on a mid-week - a most encouraging sign.

Pate de campagne

Before we had the chance to place our order, the homemade pate de campagne, bread and pickles arrived at our table and it was just the kind of appetizer that you have come to expect in a traditional bistro - the little extra that makes your dinner experience more fun and memorable.

Although the menu is not extensive, the choices cover a good range of meat, fish and poultry, plus an impressive wine selection. If you fancy some foie gras or pigeon, there is a supplement of 15 euro and there are quite a few of these add-ons.

As a starter, the foie gra royale with asparagus veloute was very well executed.  The royale was smooth and adds an interesting taste and texture to the otherwise run-of-the-mill veloute.

Foie gras royale with asparagus veloute

Saint Jacques with vinigrette, parmesan shavings and croutons

The Saint Jacques that I ordered was excellent. Served in their shells, they were only partially cooked. The addition of parmesan cheese and croutons gave this common ingredient a modern twist. Between the two main courses, the poached fish was much less successful than the grilled duck breast which was done to perfection.

Poached fish with vegetables

Magret de canard with potatoes and green salad

Souffle with grand marnier

I finished off with the grand marnier souffle which looked amazing but was a little less light and airy than I had expected. For its high quality ingredients and excellent value for money, Le Regalade is the perfect place for a convivial meal with friends.

Paulo Ribeiro and Ballet de Lorraine

White Feelings and Organic Beat, performed by Ballet de Lorraine are two very different approaches to art while bearing the same signature choreography of Paulo Ribeiro. At times, the dancers appear as an entity, they move together perfectly synchronous and at other times, they engage in their own individual body language.

White Feelings

One of the most exciting aspects of the performance is the music.  White Feelings is accompanied by four accordion players whose repertoire ranges from melancholy elegies to the frenzied rhythm of tango.  It reminds me of the musical style of Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla - fluid and passionate. Set against the avant-garde music of John Cage written in 1942 and performed live in the theatre, Organic Beat is a massive production played out by an overwhelming number of dancers - a total of 31.

Organic Beat

The idea of filming the dancers and projecting the images simultaneously on the wall behind the stage is awesome. What I love about this show is that you don't have to think very hard about the narrative or the meaning behind Ribeiro's work. The beauty of the choreography, the music and the stage design is enough to blow you away.

Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at the Tate

The time has finally come for me to be back on my home turf after three months in Paris struggling with the French language and the French bureaucracy. As soon as I stepped off the Eurostar in London, I find myself being able to think and operate normally again.

Apart from rushing to my first and long overdue dim sum lunch at Royal China, checking out London's current exhibitions is also high on my priority list. I have been hoping to see a major Chinese contemporary artist being featured at the Tate Modern. Hence it gives me great pleasure to encounter Ai Weiwei's work in the Turbine Hall.

His installation is made up of what appears to be millions of sunflower seed husks, apparently identical but actually unique. Although they look realistic, each seed is made out of porcelain. And far from being industrially produced, they have been intricately hand-crafted by hundreds of artisans in the city of Jingdezhen, which is famed for its production of Chinese imperial porcelain since the 13th century.  I said to myself that this is where China's strength lies.  The massive burden of our population of 1.3 billion has now proved to our greatest asset.

Poured into the vast space of the Turbine Hall, the seeds form a seemingly infinite landscape. The work can be looked at from afar or it could be viewed at close range. Each piece of seed is a part of the whole - a poignant commentary on the relationship between the individual and the masses.  What does it mean to be an individual in today's society?

While his exhibition is taking place in London, news of Ai Weiwei being detained by the Chinese government appeared on 3 April.  It remains to be seen whether China will back down on this occasion and release Ai who has a huge following and support in the West.

  

Time for al-fresco dining!

I have been told that it is very unusual for the temperature to reach the high 20s and stay there for weeks on end at this time of the year in Paris. Why waste the sunshine by staying indoors? I skipped breakfast altogether and headed straight to Le Comptoir du Relais in Saint Germain for a quick lunch along the sidewalk. I arrived at noon and by a quarter past, the entire place was full and a queue started to form.  A very promising sign...

I was greeted immediately by some wonderfully warm and crusty sourdough bread which was another good sign. This bistro is well known for its no reservation policy for lunch and dinner after 9pm.  The obligatory prix-fixe menu is missing but no one ever complains because the a la carte menu offers such an excellent variety of classic French dishes that you can't wait to return.

Fois Gra with prune confit and toast

Lobster bisque topped with creme fraiche

The foie gras with toast and prune confit that I ordered was delicious, but the lobster bisque was outstanding.  The flavour was exactly how it should be coming from a mixture of fish and lobster, plus the signature pastis that brought this dish to life.  As I was people watching while devouring the last bit of bread, I noticed something unusual about the building standing in front of me.  It was actually a curtain wall painted with a facade.  Well, the French would not allow their appetite to be spoiled by some silly scaffolding, would they?

Marie Antoinette's country retreat in Versailles

Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XVI, is probably best known for her lavish taste and outrageous spending that led to her downfall and eventual execution by guillotine in 1793.

Portrait of Marie Antoinette by Vigee Lebrun,
the first female French court painter

Her reputed obsession with all things rare and exquisite seems at odds with the modest apartment at Petit Trianon in Versailles where she resided for most of her married life. The two-storey building consists of a series of chambers, all surprisingly small and intimate. The neoclassical decoration and furnishings throughout are simple and restrained.

The bedroom of Marie Antoinette at Petit Trianon

The private apartment overlooking the hamlet in the distant

The idyllic private life that Marie Antoinette tried to recreate in Petit Trianon and the grandoise Palace of Versailles could not be more different.  Look at how naturalistic the landscaping is in contrast to the formal, geometric arrangement of typical French gardens.  The folly, pond and willow trees seen here suggest a new style of Anglo-Chinese gardening that became popular across Europe in the late 18th century.

A folly named 'The temple of love'

The pond and the lighthouse in the hamlet

To satisfy her love of the countryside, Marie Antoinette built a small hamlet in Petit Trianon, complete with an artificial pond, a dozen cottages with gardens, an orchard, a farm to raise animals, a lighthouse and a windmill.  This is a place where she could return to the pleasures of simple, rural pursuits, away from the pomp of Versailles and the rigours of court etiquette.

I suppose this is extravagance of a different kind - to construct a new reality for herself when the life at court proved to be too hard to bear.

Typical cottages in the late 18th century with exposed beams and thatched roof 

Farm animals are raised and kept for the
consumption by the queen's household

Jan Fabre at Theatre de la Ville

One of the favourite pastimes for the Parisians is going to the theatre. So I was really quite excited to find a dance performance that would pose no problem to my language barrier, unlike a play or an opera.

Jan Fabre's production "Prometheus Landscape II" is a pure theatrical spectacle. There are a lot of smoke, sweat, sand and fire extinguisher on the set and at centre stage was a man tied up and suspended mid air for the entire show.  The man was Prometheus who stole fire from the gods, gave it to humans and was then sentenced to have his liver consumed by a vulture for eternity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA93gzOuRM.

As much as I enjoyed the theatricality of the show, the dancing part was so watered down that the performance could have been executed by actors instead of dancers.  I was disappointed not because it was avant-garde and differed from what I would expect from a dance performance, it was the indulgence in the repetitive use of philosophical texts read out to provide clues on Fabre's psyche that bothers me.  An interesting question comes to mind - what is the role of the text in dance and how far should it be taken before it becomes theatre! Or perhaps we have arrived at an era of multi-disciplinarity that the distinction between them is no longer meaningful.